Nameloc's First Grow

Hello I am very new to the rollitup community. Been a long time reader and just finally got the courage to register and start being active.

So this is my first grow I tried to grow like a week before I wrote this and it was a failed attempt. I used wrong lights decent soil and had many things wrong. Anyway this is going to be the real attempt. I attached some pictures of the setup I am using. I am in college and am just shooting for a personal stash. Something to hit when the stress starts to set in.

Since I am in college i have little money and was wondering if anyone had suggestions / advice.

Here is my setup:

4 CFL Bulbs from Lowes
1 Intake Fan
1 Exhaust Fan
Run off Tray
Two Dixie Cups used to early sprouts

Here are some more images on the setup.

What is attached:

Lighting setup from an old projection screen
Intake Fan
Exhaust Fan
Space Growing In

Just read up on growing guides and be patient. A 30x-100x microscope might be a good idea so you can check the trichomes.

Be patient!

Here is a good link for all kinds of info I used when I first thought about growing.
Marijuana Growing Guide Free Library

Good Luck!
Greenthumb

Thanks for the info and I am going to go buy some more CFL's tonight. I wonder how most people wire their lights. To they get the sockets that plug into the wall or the straight wire ones. I am currently studying to be an electrical engineer and am very good at the wiring part. I just want to see which method people prefer.

An EE huh? I made the same mistake. LOL
Anyway, You will probably want to put standard plug ends on the lights so you can plug them into a timer or directly to any outlet in case you have to move them for some reason.

Theres really no right or wrong way. Whatever works for you.

Greenthumb

Heh another EE eh? Good shit I don't know any engineering major that doesnt blow trees. I think I am going with the wired solution cause I can daisy chain a bunch together.

Are you currently doing your own grow? If so please link

Heres a little update on my grow. So as of now i have my setup in my basement. It is winter so I think it is way to cold down there. I'm going to try to relocate to my room. Also my sister found my grow box with the light on and she was totally cool with it! What a lucky guy! I recently received some seeds from my boy who has chronic all the time. They are tiger stripped and look very nice. I germinated them about 2 days ago and am starting to see a minor crack in all of the seeds. Would placing the seeds in a warmer climate speed up the germination process?

Let me know what you guys think a.s.a.p. my plants lives are in your hands

- the one and only nameloc

Here is another update!! I relocated to my closet. This means more stealth warmer and more space. Here is how I have the plant chillin in the container. I read some where that clear containers are bad so I will have to either tape it up or just transplant.

No comments at all?!! C'mon does anyone have any ways to improve the current setup?

So I wanted to check to see if my seed had sprouted under the soil and good news!!!! IT IS Growing nicely into the soil! Now my grow is officially off the ground. I got new lights coming in and hopefully i can upgrade to a bigger space. Cheers!

wut is the watts of the bulbs and are they all cfls?

i dont think that is going to be big enough to flower them in...and you will need lot's more light

They are 40w = 150w CFL bulbs. And im adding another with a splitter so the light should be double. Anyway i read you dont even need the light till the seeds break the surface is that true? and how long does it usually take for the seeds to pop out. Thanks in advance.

Hey hows it going Nameloc, Not a bad start, I pretty much started out the same way you did befor I upgraded my setup. If I were you, I would get atleast 3-4 Daylight CFL's for veg, and about 4-5 46w warm white CFL's for Flowering. Your box will be to small so I would look into building something taller. Or if you want to keep it small your going to have to start 12/12 asap.
Make sure to get a temp/humidity guage. Ph meter's is a must. The cost of CFL's is very little. my current setup with 6 46w lights is about 10$/month if that. Read as much as you can, it helps out a great deal.
Your babies will grow fast so be ready! Im no pro, but people are more then helpful around here.
Good luck!

Thanks for the advice just got a new job and am cashing that paycheck I found a better location to grow but temperature is an issue. I will go to lowes first chance I get and grab up sockets, new bulbs and a temp/ph meter. This was some bomb ass bagseed too every hit was a new experience. At lowes my 40w bulb was like 10 bucks that doesnt sound so cheap to me but can anyone suggest where to get some bulbs from? Online would be cool cause I constantly order things.

Thanks again for visiting my journal. I will post new pics when I upgrade my setup or when my plant breaks through the dirt. Whichever one comes first. Might have packed the dirt a little to much so hopefully she is strong enough to break through.

My baby finally came out of the ground! Here are some pictures.

Great to hear that your seeds are poppin. I haven't grown using CFL's so i'm not really versed on them. As far as your current setup you should be fine for the veg cycle but when you get to flowering you will want to get as much light as you can to the plants. The more light the better your buds will be. Another issue I can foresee is space. I have a closet with a ton of light but still have to prune my plant quite a bit so that light gets to as many growing heads as possible. The plant will outgrow that box in a jiffy. When your plant starts growing multiple nodes you will want to start the clipping. There are many guides on the proper way to prune your plant on this forum and searching the net. Being in school you are used to having to read so make sure you do the same on this topic. For now you should be fine with this setup but you may have to change some things later.

I know you mentioned heat being an issue. What kind of temps are you talking about? How much heat is your light putting out? You do not want that light too close to your new baby as you may burn the fragile sprout.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Greenthumb

As far as the head goes it is too cold in my storage closet. I am thinking of taking a cabinet and stripping it and Lining the area with plastic and blankets to warm it up. How far should the light be from the sprout?

this will be interesting. good luck i'll be watching this one

nameloc88 said:

As far as the head goes it is too cold in my storage closet. I am thinking of taking a cabinet and stripping it and Lining the area with plastic and blankets to warm it up. How far should the light be from the sprout?

Click to expand...

This will depend on how hot the light gets. You will probably want to start it with the light about 4-6" away. Again, I'm not that familiar with the CFL. Make sure that you burn it. It will be better to keep it about 6" for now. As long as the light is not too hot.